2019 Kentucky Secretary of State election
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   Adams: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% French Henry: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80-90% >90% Tie: 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 Government |
The 2019 Kentucky Secretary of State election was held on November 5, 2019, to elect the secretary of state of Kentucky. Primary elections were held on May 21, 2019. Incumbent Democratic secretary Alison Lundergan Grimes was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits, creating the first open election for secretary of state since 2003.
Republican nominee Michael Adams narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Heather French Henry.[1] This was the only statewide race in Kentucky in 2019 besides the gubernatorial election in which the victory margin was single digits. It was also the only non-gubernatorial statewide election in Kentucky, Louisiana, or Mississippi (all of these states were staunchly Republican in 2019) where the Democrat achieved more than 45% of the vote in 2019.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jason Belcher, U.S. Air Force veteran and writer[2]
- Jason Griffith, teacher and businessman[3]
- Heather French Henry, former Kentucky Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and former Miss America[4]
- Geoff Sebesta, comic book artist[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Heather French Henry | 263,431 | 70.99 | |
| Democratic | Jason Belcher | 47,930 | 12.92 | |
| Democratic | Jason Griffith | 47,657 | 12.84 | |
| Democratic | Geoff Sebesta | 12,087 | 3.26 | |
| Total votes | 371,105 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Michael Adams, general counsel for the Republican Governors Association and former aide to U.S. senator Mitch McConnell[7]
- Andrew English, former general counsel for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet and U.S. Navy veteran[8]
- Stephen Knipper, cyber security expert, former Erlanger city councilor and nominee for secretary of state in 2015[9]
- Carl Nett, former counterintelligence officer[10]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Michael Adams |
Andrew English |
Steve Knipper |
Carl Nett |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cygnal[11] | May 10–12, 2019 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 11% | 10% | 7% | 5% | 68% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Adams | 94,417 | 41.27 | |
| Republican | Andrew English | 62,680 | 27.39 | |
| Republican | Steve Knipper | 41,369 | 18.08 | |
| Republican | Carl Nett | 30,340 | 13.26 | |
| Total votes | 228,806 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Heather French Henry (D) |
Michael Adams (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarity Campaign Labs (D)[12][A] | October 23–26, 2015 | 798 | ± 3.5% | 52% | 37% | 9% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Adams | 746,629 | 52.26% | +3.42 | |
| Democratic | Heather French Henry | 682,096 | 47.74% | –3.42 | |
| Total votes | 1,428,725 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Notes
- ^ Poll sponsored by Democratic Attorney General Association
References
- ^ Elahi, Amina (November 5, 2019). "Republican Michael Adams Wins Kentucky Secretary Of State". WFPL. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Belcher, Jason (May 5, 2019). "I would work to boost voter turnout as secretary of state". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Griffith, Jason (May 5, 2019). "I'd protect voters, promote business as secretary of state". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Bailey, Phillip M. (January 23, 2019). "Former Miss America Heather French Henry to run for Kentucky office". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Barton, Ryland (January 29, 2019). "Here's Who's Running For Ky. Governor And Other Offices". WFPL. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "Official May 21, 2019 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Adams, Michael G. (May 5, 2019). "As secretary of state, I would require a photo ID to vote". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Oldham County native Andrew English announces run for Ky. Secretary of State". WDRB. Louisville, Kentucky. November 11, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Latek, Tom (October 6, 2021) [January 28, 2019]. "Knipper jumps head-first into crowded field for secretary of state". KentuckyToday. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Bailey, Phillip M.; Novelly, Thomas (March 21, 2018). "Police contacted Carl Nett, secretary of state candidate, about threat against John Yarmuth". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Cygnal
- ^ Clarity Campaign Labs (D)
- ^ "Official November 5, 2019 Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
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